Saving Me
by imslytherinatheart
Summary: Hermione finally leaves her abusive husband and goes to Harry for help. He trys to get the old Hermione back from her broken state and discovers feelings for her that he didn't know he had. AU/ possibly OOC. Graphic violence, non-con,not for the gentle.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my first fic with this paring and I know some of my readers are thinking I've lost my mind. However, I will assure you that I am still sane and needed to do something a little different from the norm. I am also looking for a beta for this story so if you are interested, please send me a PM. I expect to update this story at least weekly and will do my best to keep to that promise.

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The first chapter contains physical abuse and non con. If this bothers you in anyway, click back now and read no further. If that doesn't scare you away, then I will also mention that this fic will contain lemons and angst just for a warning.

* * *

Saving me

* * *

Hermione felt her head fling back as her husband punched her between the eyes as hard as he could. The reason you ask? Easy, she had forgotten that he got off work early that particular day and his dinner was no where to be found.

The force of the latest punch was enough to send her flying back and into the sharp edge of the counter top, creating a large scratch across the small of her back. Her nose was broken, she was sure of it as she could no longer breath out of it and could feel the warm, red substance trickle down her lips onto the white tee shirt.

Her vision was slightly blurred from the impact but she could still see him advancing towards her again. She wanted to run from the man as fast as her legs could carry her but she knew from experience that he could and would catch her – and things would be worse.

Her insides clinched as he grabbed her by the hair and slammed her face into the counter top, sending her front teeth through her top lip.

She wanted this to stop but she knew he wouldn't until she blacked out. For all she knew, he probably continued to attack her once her world turned black and laughed while doing so.

Merlin how she hated him, feared him. She would gladly face Voldemort once again if it meant her freedom from this man in particular.

Her head was forced up from the counter top with a yank of her hair and her arm was twisted behind her with a loud pop. The pain from her shoulder being dislocated was the trigger that sent her world into black once more.

* * *

She had met Blake Thomas two years after leaving Hogwarts. They had a very quick, but very passionate romance for over a year before they finally married.

Through out dating, Blake was a gentleman. He had always taken her feelings into consideration, wined her and dined her, made her feel as if she were the only woman in the world and she loved it. The attention she received from Blake was a far cry from the attention of Harry and Ron, who treated her more like one of the guys.

He made her feel special, loved and wanted with everything he did – until the first time he had dared to strike her.

The first time wasn't so bad, just a smack across the cheek for calling him a name in the heat of an argument.

She still left. She would be damned if a man struck her and got away with it. She managed to stay away from him for two weeks before he found her and promised it was a mistake and that it would never happen again.

That was when she made the biggest mistake of her life and went back. He stuck to his word for almost two months but during an argument about a fact in a book, she found herself knocked to the ground, slamming her head on the coffee table behind her.

Once she had woken up, She quickly went to the bedroom and started to pack her things – Blake wasn't having it.

He had discovered her in the act of closing her suit case and in a fit of anger, he placed her struggling hand into the suitcase and slammed it shut on her fingers, breaking three in the process and since that day, he watched her like a hawk.

The beatings had been getting progressively worse over the last year and as bad as she wanted to ask for help, she was scared for herself, her friends and in the end, covered her bruises with charms.

Her life was hell and she knew it.

* * *

Hermione opened her eyes as best she could, but they were almost swollen shut from the initial punch. She could feel the sharp pain in her lip and realized her teeth were still embedded in the soft flesh and then she noticed she was laying on the floor with her twisted, dislocated arm resting beneath the weight of her body.

She let out a groan of pain before she felt a sharp kick to the chest, knocking the air from her broken body before she blacked out once more.

It was a few hours before she came back to the land of the living and this time she wished she hadn't. The fact that she was passed out and in pain didn't seem to faze Blake as he grunted above her, taking her body brutally. She didn't dare speak out, she knew he would claim husbands rights before he would hit her again and in her current state, she couldn't handle the pain of another punch, kick, or slam.

She hid the pain he was causing as he slammed into her over and over again. She wouldn't give the sadist the satisfaction he craved, she only prayed he would hurry and be done with it.

Her wish was soon granted as he stiffened and released inside her with the hardest thrust yet, causing her uterus to contract painfully. He rolled off of her in seconds and fell asleep beside her, not even bothering to check and see if she had passed out once again.

She laid completely still as he snored, she didn't want to wake him but at the same time, her mind was telling her enough was enough and that she had to get away from him before he actually succeeded in killing her.

She pulled her battered body from the bed as carefully as she could and padded into the living room of the cozy house she once loved. Her strength was nearly depleted so apparation was out of the question. She knew she would have to floo and even though her body was wracked with pain, she decided to take the chance.

She didn't pack anything or even bother to clean herself up as both of those things took energy and she would need all she had left to floo to Harry's flat. She was covered in dried blood and only wearing the white tee shirt as she stepped into the fireplace and threw the powder down.

* * *

Harry was sitting in his living room facing yet another night of sleeplessness. He had been having strange feeling as of late and they were not pleasant. He often woke within hours of falling asleep feeling weak, disoriented and most of all in pain.

Sitting on his couch had become a ritual for him and if not sleeping made sure those feeling didn't happen, he was all for it.

He noticed out of the corner of his eye that the fireplace had turned green and he quickly pulled his wand. It was two in the morning and whoever was arriving better have a damned good reason. He didn't get much of a chance to attempt to figure out who was flooing before his best friend fell out of the fireplace in a bloody heap of bushy hair and nakedness.

He dropped his wand and rushed to her with panic in his heart. He could see the blood as soon as she landed and it scared the hell out of him. Once he reached her, he quickly yet carefully picked her up, noticing instantly that her shoulder was dislocated and carried her to his bed.

He checked her vital signs, not even taking the time to consider how she had come to this state and started to panic once more. Her hear rate was slow, her pupils were dilated and her breathing was labored – she was dying slowly.

He took a second to consider his options. He had sorted out that flooing or apparating to St. Mungo's would probably kill her instantly and getting a healer to his flat this time of night would be a long, annoying task and still didn't guarantee results. He only had one option and as much as he hated to do so, he knew Severus Snape would have the necessary potions and experience to help her if she could be helped.

He and Severus had made a truce of sorts a few years earlier and while they were not the best of friends, both wizards held a certain respect for each other and made their peace.

He walked over to his fireplace and stuck his head in, making a call to his ex – professor quarters.

To Harry's relief, Severus was still awake and sitting in the living room reading a book in peace. He didn't bother with pleasantries and quickly asked for his help, adding that he would need to bring potions for healing a person who was in grave condition.

Severus knew that what ever had happened, had to be bad for Potter to ask for help. He quickly placed his books down, grabbed a box full of potions he had prepared for emergencies and floo'd to Harry's flat.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Wow, the reviews were awesome.

Chapter 2.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The sight of her battered and broken body sent Severus into a mild state of silent shock. He remained calm and collected on the outside, but on the inside he was angered that one of his brightest pupils had been beaten so badly. Just from the initial sight, he could tell this wasn't a random act of violence by a mugger or thug.. this was deliberate and made to prove a point. He walked to the bed where Harry was trying his best to get her to wake up and having little success about it.

"I should think it to be wise to heal her a bit before waking her." Severus said curtly.

Harry glanced at the dark powerful man and nodded, He knew he was right -- waking her now would just be cruel.

Severus took up Harry's spot on the bed and did a quick yet thorough check over. Harry watched as the dark eyebrows knitted together with a look of wondering. He could see the different emotions playing through his potions professor eyes. The looks of knowing, anger and sympathy were all there. Severus was gentle as he lifted her shirt to just under her breast and growled.

"What?" Harry asked

"Do you know if Ms. Granger has been attacked recently?"

"None that I know of – just this." He replied

Severus nodded and let out a deep sigh, "This isn't the first time." he stated calmly, "She has bruises, scratches and bite marks that were inflicted over a week ago... this has been going on for a while."

Harry felt like he had been beaten himself – how could anyone hurt her in such a way?

Severus looked to Harry, "She is hiding the marks with a glamor – I'm going to remove them but prepare yourself to see worse."

It wasn't possible, there was no way it could be worse. He watch carefully as Severus waved his wand over Hermione, ending the concealment charms and glamors.

The sight before both men nearly made them sick. She was in a rough state and battered beyond what anyone could imagine. She had red welts, deep scratches, bruises, and swollen lumps – the anger in the room doubled. Severus then said a charm and ran his wand slowly over her body. It would glow blue on less injured spots and fire red over serious injuries. The wand glowed red when it passed her ribs and abdomen, there were no bruises on that area so he knew the injury was internal.

"Blake – he is the only one who could have done this." Harry hissed quietly, feeling like his body was being ripped in 20 different ways

Severus nodded in agreement and quickly went to work, healing everything he could with spells, potions and salves.

"Will you stay with her?" Harry asked in a deadly voice.

Severus gave a subtle nod, he knew the look of revenge just as well an anyone and what Harry was sporting was pure, unaltered anger. He almost felt bad for Blake... almost.

"Get him a few good times for me as well – men shouldn't hit women no matter the circumstances." Severus said quietly.

He knew he had done awful, horrific things in his life – but hitting the fair gender was not one of them and he had seen enough of the women who had -- he knew the looks.

"With pleasure" Harry replied and apparated out of his flat on the spot.

He walked to the door of the cozy little house. To the normal person walking by, they would think this house as a warm, happy place but now Harry knew different. He never really did like Blake but gave him a chance anyway for Hermione and now, he wished he had voiced his opinions a bit stronger. He hated himself for not noticing even though her rarely got a chance to see her and he was sorely pissed off at Ron for ditching her when she chose Blake over him -- maybe Ron would have noticed. As he reached the door, he instantly heard swearing and the slamming of furniture. Blake was awake and due for a good ass kicking. Harry let out a small growl and was positive the anger Blake was feeling had nothing on his own anger.

Harry raised his wand and blasted the door from it hinges, causing Blake to pull his wand out equally as fast. Harry wasn't taking any chances of Blake getting the best of him and quickly cast a binding spell at the other wizard -- he needed to show this wizard a lesson he would not soon forget.

"Get out of my house Harry." Blake said coolly, his eyes wide with anger

Harry narrowed his eyes and approached the bound man, "Why did you do it you son of a bitch." he growled in an eerily calm voice.

Blake let out a small laugh, "So the good for nothing whore ran to you did she. Probably for the best -- she was worthless anyway."

"Answer my question Blake." Harry seethed

"She needed it" he said with a cocky voice, "She needed to know her place and I firmly put her in it."

It took every ounce of restraint no to Avada Blake on the spot – oh how he wanted to.

"You took her wand I presume?" Harry asked, "Because I'm sure she would have protected herself."

"Of course I took it – I wasn't about to let the bitch get me while I slept."

One would think someone who was bound and facing a wand would try to make things right a bit, but Blake was clearly being an ass and had no since of self preservation.

"And you think it's alright to hit a girl?"

Blake shrugged but held a defiant smirk on his face.

"You take her means of defense and beat her." Harry growled with his statement, "And I shall do the same to you... muggle style."

Hexing and cursing would have been easier but Harry was out for blood – Blake's blood.

He reached over and drug the sandy haired wizard to his feet. Blake was a bit taller then he was but Harry was stronger, more athletic.

He pulled his fist back as far as he could and with all of his might, he punched Blake in the nose. It was satisfying to hear the crunch but not nearly enough. Harry knew Blake was going to be sore in the morning and he reveled in it – Blake needed a good ass beating for what he had been doing.

Harry fist drew back once again before it crashed into Blake's stomach – Harry was starting to feel better.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry's flat...

Hermione opened her eyes to a very somber looking ex professor. She felt better then she had in months and sat up without cringing to terribly.

"Harry" she croaked out in a weak voice, yes, she was feeling better but still weak as hell.

"He will be back shortly Ms. Granger." Severus offered while pushing her back down into the bed, "You need rest." He added.

Hermione complied with his demands as she was feeling exhausted.

"You should have told someone." he stated

"I couldn't... he was watching everything." she replied, "He read my mail, placed tracking charms on me and the last time I tried to leave, I ended up with broken fingers and cracked ribs... I just felt lost."

Severus shook his head, "How long has this been going on?"

"It started after we married... but its only been getting worse lately."

Severus dreaded the next question but it had to be asked, "Did he force himself on you recently?"

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows -- why in Merlin's name did he need to know that but still, she answered.

"When I woke up the last time... he was above me and I was hardly conscious... in the end, I felt a sharp pain but it didn't last very long."

Severus let out a sigh, "I thought as much. I healed your injury but he bruised you up pretty bad internally."

Hermione closed her eyes, she was so glad to be away from Blake.

It only took about fifteen minutes from the start of their conversation before a small pop was Heard and Harry came into view once more. His eyes quickly landed on Hermione who was looking at him with concern.

Severus noticed the look and stood quickly, "Be well Ms. Granger" he stated with a gentle pat on her shoulder. He glanced at Harry's hand and smiled a genuine smile.

"Hope you saved some for me." Severus whispered as he walked by Harry.

Harry gave off a small smirk, " I only made him black out three times... a couple more couldn't hurt."

Severus nodded and disapperated on the spot... He wanted to visit Blake for a few minutes himself.

Harry approached the bed as soon as Severus was gone and kneeled beside it, "Why didn't you tell me." He whispered

Hermione let a single tear fall from her eyes, "I was scared Harry. I tried to leave him but he wouldn't let me."

Harry shook his head and glanced at his best friend once again, she did look better but still not like the Hermione he knew.

"Thank you Harry" she said while motioning to Harry's swollen and bloodied knuckles, "For saving me."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This will probably be an emotional chapter to some. If you think it may bother you then skip it. It is mostly Hermione talking to Harry about the marriage.

Also, Please don't send me anything saying I'm writing about something I have no clue about because trust me when I say this..I do.. maybe not on a physical level but emotional level.. trust me its just as bad as physical.. Everyone has different responses and emotions when it comes to the subject and I'm basing hers on mine. After this chapter, things will start to lighten up a bit.

Over the next few days, Harry hardly left Hermione's side. Her bruises were almost gone thanks to the salve Severus left behind but Harry couldn't get the image of what she looked like out of his mind. His stomach clinched with anger all over again every time he thought about it, but taking his anger out on Blake was next to impossible considering he had gone ' missing '.

Nights were the worst of everything. Harry had let Hermione have half of the bed and he took the other. They were friends after all and his flat only had one bedroom – the couch wasn't fit to sleep on either.

During the second night, Harry woke up to a soft whimpering sound coming from Hermione. He glanced over to see her curled into the fetal position, protecting her sides – his heart broke.

He reached over to wake her up but as soon as his hand touched her, she let out a scream and flung herself off the bed and onto the floor. Harry rushed over and held her despite the screaming, the way she was thrashing around could have caused her greater damage.

She said she remembered nothing the next morning but the emotion in her eyes stated otherwise.

The third night, which was last night did not go much smoother. This time, Harry woke up to her pleading with someone to stop while saying she wouldn't do it again. To hear her so weak put him into protector mode. She was strong and he knew it, but she was also human and being abused physically, mentally or emotionally tended to make even the strong break after a while. She was broken and he hated it.

When Harry woke up for the day, he quickly went into the kitchen and started to make breakfast. He wanted to talk to her about everything and figured a good meal and friendly company may help her along. He needed to know details of the marriage so he could help her properly.

They had been tip toeing around the subject and casually talking about other things but her marriage was not one of the topic even touched.

Hermione finally woke up to the smell of bacon cooking and drifted into the kitchen happily. It had been a long time since anyone had cooked for her and she was grateful.

"Morning Harry" she said in a happier voice then she had managed over the last few days.

Harry turned from the stove and gave her a warm smile, "Morning – you sound better."

"I feel better" she said with a sigh, "I feel... I don't know – free."

Harry nodded and placed the plates on the table. He allowed her to eat for a few minutes before bringing up the subject.

"Hermione... I hate to but I need to ask." He said quietly

She had been expecting as much and prepared herself over the last few days.. she needed someone to talk to and she trust Harry more then anyone else in the world.

"I know Harry" she said with a sigh, "I've been expecting it."

"I want to help you Hermione and I don't think I can without knowing everything."

She nodded and asked, "What do you want to know first?"

Harry sat back in his chair and thought about it before finally speaking.

"If I were to ask you to tell me the first three words of what you feel... what would they be?"

Hermione closed her eyes and looked down to the table, "Lost, broken, and stupid."

"Why Lost?" he asked

Hermione couldn't help but smile a little, Harry was acting like a shrink.

"Lost is for a few reasons actually." she stated with a sigh, "I feel lost because I don't even know who I am anymore... I feel lost because I gave up so much of myself for a man who treated me like shit.. I feel lost because I don't know where I stand in the world any longer."

"And broken?"

"Broken is because I'm weak.. I don't have the strength to fight anymore, I don't feel, I don't care about people the way I use to and most of all I hate the person I've become." she whispered

"And Stupid?" He asked trying hard to keep his voice steady.

"I feel stupid because I went back after the first time, I feel stupid for believing him when he said he loved me, I feel stupid because I couldn't stop him, I feel stupid because... because I should have known better."

"Hermione – I don't think that makes you stupi--."

Harry stop..." she stated, " I was stupid for letting it get this far" she paused for a minute to fight back the sobs, "Do you know how hard it is to look in the mirror and see that the face looking back at you is one you don't recognize? Do you know what it's like to give yourself to someone completely – only to have them treat you like you don't deserve the right to lick their shoes?"

She had to stop for a minute to catch her breath, for some reason it felt like she was suffocating and couldn't breath. Her tears were at maximum unload and her voice was strained.

Harry too had tears in his eyes as he watched her anguish.

"He made me think I didn't deserve to live Harry. It's hard... so hard to wake up everyday, knowing that you will be told your worthless over and over again while inside... inside you know he's wrong and you fight it, you try to ignore it." she had to stop to suck in a breath again, her lungs felt like they were shriveling into nothing.

"But you cant..." she finally sputtered out, "Each name, each smack changes you.. and after a while you start to ignore the inner voice and believe that you do deserve it for some reason.. You think that he has a reason for doing what he's doing.. and each day you are made to feel worthless, each day you have to check you words for double meaning, each day you feel like your walking on egg shells and at the end of each day... you die a little inside."

Harry couldn't handle it anymore and crossed the table, he had to hold her, comfort her. She felt his arms wrap around her and she sunk into him, enjoying the warm body that was trying to offer her comfort... something she hadn't had in a long time.

"I want my life back Harry.. I want to feel with out being beaten, I want to regenerate the pieces of me that have died... I want to be whole again and wake up in the morning with a smile, I want to know that I am worth the air I breath..." she let out a final sob, "I want to know I'm alive Harry."

Harry could not speak, his voice was gone and all he could do was hold the sobbing witch as tight as he could, silently telling her that he was there and she was safe.

How they ended up on the kitchen floor and how long they had been there, he'd never know. But he did know that no matter what happened, she would never feel like she didn't deserve to live or worthless again.

She felt so vulnerable in his arms, like a child who had been abandoned and left alone with no safety, no love and it killed him. He didn't want to let her go because at that moment, all he wanted to do is show her she was safe and she was loved, he wanted to hold her and not let go.

P.S. Blake is not dead...FYI


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: hello there. I am updating this one again simply because I have the chapters already written. I have not forgotten about my other stories and will be updating as quickly as possible. Thank you all for the reviews on this story so far.

When Blake finally started to wake up, He could hear the faint sounds of running water, exotic birds, and the rustle of leaves. A warm breeze washed over his body and the smell of salt water filled his nostrils -- He had no clue where he was, all he remembered was a tall man with black hair coming into his house and giving him a few good hits – he blacked out shortly after.

"Oh, the slave is awake" a female voice stated as she walked closer.

"So he is" another female voice spoke out, only this one seemed older.

"Wake up slave – get to your feet." The older woman stated.

Blake slowly opened his eyes and was met by two of the biggest women he had ever seen. He sat up and started to scoot back once he noticed that these women were at least 7 feet tall.

"Wha- where the hell am I?" Blake asked

The older woman walked forward, "I am Izadora – Queen of the Amazons and you slave, are in my Queendom."

Blake's eyes went wide, "What am I doing here?"

Izadora gave of a haughty laugh, "I would think you would have reached that conclusion already – slave"

"I am no ones slave." Blake yelled back, "Especially to a bunch of over grown women."

"Which is exactly why you are here." Izadora said in a matter of fact voice, "You see, we have a gentleman friend of ours who comes here occasionally to collect plants for his potions. Imagine our surprise when he showed up with you."

"Why would he bring me here?" Blake interrupted

Izadora laughed once again, " Because Slave... he informed us on how you treated your woman and felt that we could straighten you out."

Blake didn't like the sound of this one bit and grabbed for his wand.

"You wont find it." The younger girl stated, " you have no means to perform magic while here."

Blake looked like he was going to faint again, "How many of you are there and what is expected of me?" He finally asked

"There are 30 of us in all... and you will serve us." Izadora stated, " you will cook, clean, and anything else we request."

Blake paled – he thought he had it rough with one woman now he had 30.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

When Hermione woke up, she felt a heavy arm draped over her midsection and tensed. It didn't last long once she realized it was Harry and snuggled in a little deeper, feeling completely safe in Harry's embrace – a feeling she hadn't woken up to in a loooooong time.

She reflected on how the days had been getting better and better since her little outburst. She felt like she had let go of a burden of sorts, a burden that she had carried for far to long . She felt lighter then she had in years as well as healthier, more balanced and a lot more... happy – the feeling was indescribable.

Harry had been by her side through everything so far and she adored him for it. He had put up with her nightmares, her flinching if he moved too quickly, her quiet moods – everything, and she knew she would always be thankful.

She shifted a bit to get more comfortable and giggled – yes giggled, when she felt Harry tighten his hold on her. He was still sound asleep, she could tell that by his breathing, and he was still trying to protect her.

She remained laying in bed for another hour before finally having to get up, She had to pee and if she waited much longer – well, there was going to be problems.

She managed to get out of Harry's iron grip and made it to the bathroom. She did her necessaries then started the shower. She stripped down and caught the image of her body in the mirror and smiled.

Her skin was normal again with the exception of a few small scars, but the purple, green and yellow spots that one littered her body were nowhere to be seen. The red scratches were now gone as well and left only shiny, silvery scars where the deeper ones had been.

Taking this examination to the next step, she placed her hand on her ribs and gave it a gentle push. She almost squealed with happiness that the pain was gone. She rolled her shoulder – no pain, twisted her back a bit – no pain, she wiggled her fingers and toes – and once again no pain. She had finally done it.. she was free of Blake and nothing, absolutely nothing would make her go back to him. She was physically her old self and that delighted her.

Her shower lasted longer then normal that morning. She had felt like she had a second chance and planned on using it to the fullest. She was healed at least physically and while that was great, she still had a lot to work on. She allowed the hot water to relax her muscles and clear her mind, she needed this.

Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

Harry smiled when he felt her come closer to him. He could tell by the way she sighed that she was content and felt safe enough to be around him.

He had noticed a big change in her already but there were still things that bothered him to no end. Hermione, once brave and almost fearless, was now sullen and jumpy, once outspoken but now barely spoke over a whisper and the nightmares – the nightmares were the worst of it all.

He wanted to change it, change it all. He didn't want her to flinch when he raised his hand near her, He wanted her to state her opinions instead of agreeing with everything, he wanted her to speak above a whisper and roar like the lioness she was – and he be damned if he didn't try his best to get her back that way.

The other thing he noticed was on his part. The minute she had fallen through the floo and he noticed the state she was in, his heart nearly gave out. He had always considered her a good friend – no, a best friend and that was the extent of it, but after seeing her in the condition she was in, he couldn't handle the thought of losing her and the desire to protect her had grown stronger then it had ever been before.

The nights he spent holding her, comforting her, made him feel like she was his to take care of and strangely, he felt he wanted to. He at one point was glad that Ron had dissolved his friendship with her because if he hadn't, Harry was sure he would be sharing her and as much as he didn't understand it.. he didn't want to share her with anyone, much less an old love interest.

When he felt her finally get out of bed, he felt a strange loneliness wash over him and he didn't like it... not one bit.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I also want to say a special thanks to my beta on this story. Thanks Smurfette39 for the awesome work.

* * *

When Hermione finally pulled herself out of her shower, she changed into a pair of Harry's boxers and one of his tee-shirts. The shirt she had arrived in was ruined beyond repair and the rest of her clothing had remained at her house as she refused to step foot in it.

She made her way into the kitchen and once again met with a smiling Harry.

"Morning Hermione," he said cheerfully as he buttered a piece of toast.

"Morning Harry," she replied while moving to the table. "Uh, Harry? Do you think we could go into Diagon Alley so I can get some clothes?"

Harry glanced over, he thought she looked rather cute in his clothes but kept the thought to himself.

"Sure, we can go after breakfast if you'd like – I think I have a pair of jeans that might fit you in my old school trunk."

"Thanks Harry. I don't think people want to see me running around in your underwear."

He couldn't help but laugh at her. He placed a plate of breakfast down in front of her along with a glass of juice before sitting down to eat himself.

"If you'd like, I could go back to your house and get what you need," Harry offered. "That way you don't need to go there yourself."

"No, it's alright Harry. Everything that was of value to me is in Gringotts. I got a vault a while back and slowly moved things that I didn't want to lose in it."

"How?" Harry asked. He knew from previous conversation that Blake watched her every move.

"Blake had to go to work – I knew where he kept my wand so I would shrink whatever the item was down, go to Gringotts and do my business, come back and replace the wand – he never suspected a thing."

Harry grinned, she was always smarter then anyone gave her credit for. They finished up breakfast and retreated to the bedroom where Harry kept his school trunk.

He pulled the trunk from the closet and knelt down in front of it with Hermione by his side. He rummaged through the truck for a minute before pulling out a pile of clothes and taking them over to the bed to bring them to normal size.

Hermione peeked into the trunk and spotted a bundle of pictures. "Can I look at the pictures?" she asked quietly.

Harry turned to face her and made his way back over towards the trunk. He plucked the pictures out and gently pulled Hermione to her feet.

"Let's go to the living room and have a look together," he stated.

They both sat down on the couch and Harry gently pulled the red ribbon from the bundle.

"I haven't looked at these in years," he stated as the ribbon fell to his lap.

The first few pictures were of Quiddich games and friends they had long lost contact with, but the fifth picture was of a hug between the two of them.

"I remember when that was taken," she said with a smile. "It was second year after they had given me the mandrake juice and I went into the Great Hall."

"I remember that too – Colin took the picture I believe."

Hermione nodded, "He gave me a picture of me and Ron from the same time... did you notice how I didn't hug him?"

Harry thought back to that day, "You know... I do remember because I wondered why you would hug me and not him... it seemed... uncomfortable."

She laughed, "It was for some reason... it always was and I have no idea why."

Harry shrugged, "Beats me."

He flipped to the next picture which was of Ginny and Harry during fifth year.

"You look bored," she pointed out.

"I was." he replied with a chuckle. "Even after all the time I knew her she would still freeze up sometimes... it was awkward.

"I can imagine."

He flipped through a few more pictures, passing one of the Patil twins, Lee Jordan, and Professor Flitwick until he came to a picture of Cho.

"Why did I ever like her?" Harry asked. "She was so.. sooo, quiet and soft spoken, definitely not my type."

"Hormones," was her reply.

They looked at the pictures for a little while longer until they reached the end of the stack. The last picture was of her, Harry, and Ron.

Harry heard her sigh, "Do you miss him?" he asked.

"You know... I do, but I don't," she replied while sitting back. "He was always a good friend, a little dimwitted at times but a good friend none the less. But when I chose Blake over him... he called me a few names and left – I don't think I could be friends with him again – he hurt me too bad that day."

Harry nodded in agreement. Ron had said some pretty crappy things that day – even calling her a bitch at one point.

"Ready to find some clothes?" he asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Yeah..I'm ready. I think going out will do me some good."

They went back into the bedroom where Harry came up with two pairs of jeans and a pair of his old shoes.

"I can't believe I have to dress like a boy," she stated while lacing up the shoes.

"Only for a little while. We will get you some girl clothes," he laughed.

Once they had finished getting dressed, Harry led her into the fireplace and wrapped his arms around her.

"Diagon Alley," he shouted as he threw the powder down.

Seconds later they landed in Diagon Alley and Hermione smiled at the sights before her.

"Merlin how I've missed this," she said breathlessly. "Do you have any idea how long its been since I've been here?"

Harry shook his head no.

"A year and a half," she said. "And last time I was here was with Blake – he didn't let me go anywhere without him... he was afraid I'd buy a spare wand or something."

Harry looked at her funny, "Do you even know where your wand is?"

"Broken... in a drawer on his side of the bed," she said sadly. "I managed to get all of my belongs to Gringotts but one day his friend told him that he thought he saw me. Blake grew paranoid and broke my wand – after that he used his own to place the glamors on me and everything else – I haven't used one in ages."

"Then our first stop is to the wand shop," he replied. "You can't be a witch without a wand."

Hermione felt a bubble of excitement inside her stomach, the idea hadn't even crossed her mind because she had gotten to use to being without one.

Harry noticed her eyes light up at the suggestion. He couldn't even imagine being without his.

They made their way to Olivander's where they were greeted by an old man, "Finally came for a wand?" the man asked.

Hermione nodded, "Yes, uh, mine is".

"Broken," the man finished. "I felt it when that wand was broken – I remember every one of the wands I've sold and to whom."

He reached his hand behind the old counter and pulled out a box. "This one is almost a twin to your first," he stated while opening the box. It looked like hers, slightly darker, but it was very close just the same. She reached her hand out shakily and gripped the offered wand.

"It's been so long," she whispered, feeling like she had been reunited with a part of her life.

Harry grinned ear to ear, there was no mistaking the look of joy in her face. He paid for the wand and they left the shop to start the clothes hunting.

Hermione noticed the difference in the place since she had last been there. New shops had opened up, the area looked like it had been expanded to allow for more shops as well. It was still packed but it felt like home – in a weird sort of way. They passed the shops one by one, going in when she wanted to explore or buy something. She felt like she had before Blake came around... she felt freedom, relief and happiness and the more she shopped without restrictions, the happier she became.

They eventually stopped for lunch. She was having so much fun she had almost forgotten she was hungry. They took a table in the back where Harry slipped into one side and Hermione on the other.

"I take it you are enjoying yourself?" Harry asked.

"I am... I had almost forgotten how much fun this was."

"Good, I'm glad you are. I've seen more of the old Hermione in the last few hours then I have in a long while."

Hermione grinned cheekily and began to respond before a voice she recognized came up behind her. She knew he didn't know she was there, the booth was blocking her from view.

"Hey mate, whatcha doin' here?" Ron asked, freezing once he spotted Hermione.

"Just having a spot of lunch with Hermione," he replied. "What about you?"

Ron smirked a bit, "I'm on a date with Susan."

Hermione didn't fail to notice that Ron wouldn't even look at her.

"How's that going?" Harry asked.

"Going on three months now," he replied, this time making eye contact with the silent Hermione.

Ron cocked his head over to the side, "Finally get away from lover boy long enough to visit your friend."

There was spite in his voice, but Hermione ignored it and didn't answer.

"And why are you wearing Harry's clothes... Decide you like Harry better then Blakey Poo."

"Shut up Ron," Harry warned.

"It was just a question," Ron said with a shrug. "What's the big deal?"

"Just drop it Ron," Harry said again, this time in a deeper voice.

"What the hell Harry?" Ron yelled. "Why the hell are you telling me to back of the subject?"

"Because the past isn't important Ron, and some things are better left there."

Ron grew angry, How could Harry tell him to back off when he had been dying for years to confront her again.

"I have the right to say whatever I want," Ron finally yelled, this time slamming his hand on the table.

Hermione saw the hand raise and instantly put her hands over her face, scooting away and when the loud smack sounded, she couldn't control the small shriek that escaped her mouth.

Ron watched Hermione's reaction and despite the anger he had towards her, he felt bad for scaring her like that.

"I'm sorry," he sputtered, still not sure of what to make of the situation.

Harry stood from his side of the booth and scooted in next to Hermione. He placed his hand on her shoulder and she flinched out of reflex.

"Shhhh, hey it's just me," he said in as soothing of a voice he could muster while trying not to punch the hell out of Ron.

Ron's eyebrows knitted together as he listened closely.

"No one is going to hurt you anymore... I won't let them," Harry said a little softer. Hermione finally turned to face Harry and buried her face in his neck.

"I hate that I can't control that," she whispered. "I hate flinching all the time."

Realization hit Ron like a bludger as he listened to the conversation.

"That son of a bitch," Ron seethed. "I'm sorry Hermione... I didn't know."

Harry just glared at Ron, two seconds earlier Ron was picking on her and now he was sorry?

"Come on Hermione, let's get you home."

Hermione nodded and stood with Harry, keeping her face hidden. The last thing she wanted was for anyone else to see how she had become.

"I'll owl you later Ron," Harry stated before walking Hermione out and apparating her away.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Ye be warned, lemons are ahead. Stop reading when you hit the warning if you do not wish to read it. Again, I say thank you to my Beta, Smurfette39... Awesome work.

* * *

As soon as Harry and Hermione landed back in his flat, She couldn't stop the tears that started to flow. She didn't want to cry, she didn't want Blake to win anymore. All she wanted was to be the way she was, but how could she when the slightest action made her recoil like a frightened puppy.

Flashes of her marriage went through her mind. She could see him again, standing over her with a raised fist, angry words spilling from his mouth, insulting, degrading and shaming her for no reason other then being his wife – and she hated him for it.

The what -ifs stated next. What if she had never accepted him back after the first time? What if she would have fought back with the vengeance she knew she possessed instead of thinking it would change if she waited it out? What if she had never married Blake and married Ron instead like he wanted? Would it have been different? Would it have been better even if she didn't love him? It was too much for her mind to process and she finally broke down.

She had been trying to hold it together and one simple action from a man she once considered a best friend brought her down to her knees. One act of violence towards her was all it took to bring her back to day one, the night she stumbled into Harry's flat bloodied and bruised. "Help me Harry," she finally sobbed out. "Help me be me again."

Harry walked over to her and lifted her from her knees, pulling her into his chest. He rubbed small comforting circles on her back to soothe her and used his other hand to stroke her hair. "He wouldn't hit you, you know he wouldn't," Harry said with a sigh

"I d- didn't think B-Blake ever would either," she cried. "Why do they all lash out at me? What do I do that is so wrong?"

"You did nothing... absolutely nothing," he whispered into her hair. "I want you to come with me, I want to show you something."

She nodded into his chest and allowed Harry to pull her towards the bedroom. She thought he was going to comfort her the way he had been doing, coddle her like the child she felt she was at times but what he did was something she never expected.

She felt her self get spun around and came face to face with herself as Harry stood behind her. The floor length mirror she had never noticed before was showing her what she had become and she didn't like it.

"When I look at you," Harry started, "I see a girl that I grew up with, a girl that stuck with me through everything, comforted me when I came back from the summer at my cousin's, helped me defeat the darkest wizard known to our world."

He raised her hands to the mirror.

"These hands are able to use a wand and defend what she believes in. These hands have been a source of comfort for me over the years with their gentle touches that show me that you care."

He then ran his hands over her arms.

"These arms... these arms are the ones that wrapped around my neck when we shared times of happiness, sadness, and friendship."

Next came her face. He raised his index fingers and ran them under her eyes.

"These eyes have shown me everything from fear to loyalty. They have shown me strength when I needed it as well as when others needed it. The eyes are said to be windows to the soul and when I look at them... I don't see a girl that was treated unfairly and hurt. I don't see a girl that wants to hide from this and let thing heal slowly; Do you know what I see?"

Hermione shook her head 'no'.

"I see the girl I admired since I was eleven years old. I see the girl who didn't put up with being called names. I see the fighter that is hiding – and I want her to come back to me."

Lastly, he moved his hand over her heart.

"What you can't see is what is most important. Inside this chest is a heart, the organ that pumps the blood that keeps your body alive. The organ that if it were to quit, you would cease to exist. I can feel it beating. I can feel the strength of which it pumps, the beats that are thumping loudly, telling you that you are alive."

He slowly spun her around to where she was facing him.

"I can feel your body wanting to live, wanting to do what it was meant to do and I know your mind and spirit are on the same wave length."

He tipped her chin so her eyes would meet his. "I know you can fight this, I know you are stronger then how you feel right now and I know that you will beat this."

Hermione searched the green eyes of the man she considered to be her best friend. She searched for any signs of doubt and found that he had no doubt at all. "I won't let them win Harry," she stated softly. "I wont."

Harry smiled and gave her a kiss on the forehead, "I know you won't – you're too stubborn for that."

- stop reading now if you don't want to read the lemons-

She smiled and reached her hands up to his face and stroked her thumbs along his cheek bones. She didn't know why she was doing this. She didn't know how he would react but her body went on its own accord and she stood on her toes. His eyes never left her nor did her eyes leave his and for a split second she hesitated before she finally placed her lips to his.

It wasn't a heated snog or a messy fumbling of the lips – it was slow... it was strengthening... it was what she needed to prove to Harry as well as herself that she was alive and she was ready to fight harder then she had ever fought for anything. After a few minutes she finally pulled away slowly, still looking into his eyes.

"Take me to the Ministry Harry. I want to file for divorce. I want to cut all strings from that monster and start over fresh."

Her lips were moving. He knew she was saying something but for the life of him he couldn't hear her. He could still feel her lips on his and everything else around him was a blur. He pulled her to him again and brought her into another kiss, wanting to taste her again. She didn't protest. She didn't try to stop him. She was lost in the kiss just as he was and for the first time in a long time her heart was happy.

Her hands laced around his neck and his around her waist, pulling her flush against him.

"I need you Harry," she whispered against his lips. Harry nodded and started walking them backwards towards the bed, never breaking the contact between them.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked, not wanting her to regret it later.

"I need to trust, I need to feel and I want to start my life over with the one person I have always been able to count on."

"Alright but if you want to stop at any point just say it."

Hermione nodded but knew she wouldn't want to stop. She needed the contact that she had been without for so long. She felt his lips move across her cheek and down to her neck while his hands ghosted over her back. Her hands dropped to his chest where she hesitated to do anything further, not that she didn't want to but with Blake she had learned the hard way not do anything without his specific instructions.

Harry noticed.

"Just do what you want to do," he whispered into her neck. "This is just as much about you as it is me – think of it as your first step in taking control of your life."

Hermione nodded and with a smirk, she raised his hands up in the air and lifted his shirt from his body, revealing his lean, muscular chest. Her hands gently began to roam over his newly exposed flesh causing him to moan. She lowered her mouth to his chest and gave it a gentle nip before soothing the spot with her tongue, earning a slight growl from Harry. His hands dropped to the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head, dropping it to the floor at their feet. His hand then reached behind her and unclasped her bra.

"Are you completely sure about this?" he asked once again before removing the bra from her body.

"I am sure Harry... completely."

He then lowered the straps from her shoulders letting the bra fall from her arms. He stepped closer again, pressing his body into hers and walked her to the bed, gently pushing her down onto the mattress. He crawled onto the bed with her and positioned himself over her where he licked his way down from her neck to her breast, circling her nipple with his tongue.

"Oh gods Harry," she groaned, suddenly realizing how much she missed the enjoyment of mutual pleasure. He took her nipple into his mouth completely, gently sucking on the hardened peak while flicking it with his tongue. Her hand reached out and placed it onto his head, arching to the contact.

"Merlin I want you." He finally groaned out.

She sat up and went to work on his jeans, unbuttoning and unzipping them quickly before pushing them and his boxers down to his knees where he removed them the rest of the way. He pushed her back gently and returned the favor, leaving them both naked as the day they were born. He crawled up her body and between her already spread legs.

"Are you ready?"

She nodded a yes and pulled his mouth back to hers as he slid inside her. Her legs wrapped around his hips and locked him in place.

"Merlin you feel good... so tight," he hissed as he started to move inside her. Her muscles clinched around him as his words spilled through her body, making her tingle. He started off with long, gentle thrusts but as her mews became louder and quicker so did he. It didn't take long for things to start moving at a more furious pace. He claimed her body as she claimed his, feeling the need that radiated off of them in waves.

"Oh god," she almost sobbed. "I – I can't hold it."

Harry heard her words and began to thrust faster, wanting to come with her. He felt her body tighten around him and with a final hard thrust, he exploded into bliss with her, riding their shared orgasms to completion.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thank you BooksandMoons4ever, for point out that the document loaded funny... it should be fixed now. And thanks to Smurfette for being a quick and wonderful Beta.

* * *

Hermione woke up the next morning, naked, content, and pressed up against her best friend turned lover. She let out a yawn followed by a stretch and a smile before cuddling closer to the warm body she was currently entangled in.

"Morning," a groggy voice whispered from behind her.

Hermione smiled and turned over, "Morning."

"How did you sleep?" he asked.

Hermione blushed a little, "Better then I have in a long time – way better."

Harry let out a chuckle and pulled her closer to him, "No regrets, yeah?"

"No Harry, no regrets." He leaned over and pressed his lips to hers once again. "So what do you want to do today?" he asked after pulling away.

"Ministry – I want to file for divorce so I can start to live again."

Harry smiled and rolled on top of her, placing himself between her legs. "We'll go in a few minutes," he said while wiggling his eyebrows causing Hermione to giggle.

* * *

Two hours later, Harry and Hermione entered the ministry and went straight for the department that handled marriages and divorces. They walked into a small waiting room where Harry took a seat and Hermione went up to the window.

"Can I help you dear?" the elderly witch asked with a smile.

"Uh, umm, yes ma'am, I would like to file for divorce and I need to know what it takes to do so."

The elderly witch looked at Hermione with a sadness in her eyes, "Divorce is never easy but I will try to make it as easy for you as possible."

Hermione gave the woman a smile.

"Come dear, we will talk in my office."

Hermione waved for Harry to follow and the woman led them through the halls to a small office.

"Now dear, Is this your husband?"

"No, this is Harry Potter... my best friend."

"And your name dear?"

"Hermione Thomas, formally Hermione Granger."

"Will you be going back to Granger or keeping Thomas?" the old woman asked.

"I am going to be Granger again," Hermione replied firmly.

The old woman smiled and nodded, "Alright, what is your husband's full name?"

Hermione took in a deep breath, "Blake Edward Thomas".

The old woman sitting across from her suddenly dropped her quill and looked right at her, "This isn't the Blake Thomas who's parents are Dave and Wendy?" (couldn't resist)

Hermione swallowed thickly and nodded a yes. The old woman sighed and slumped back in her chair, "You're a lucky one, you are."

"Come again?"

"I said you are a lucky one for getting away from him."

Hermione looked over to Harry, who shrugged in response. "Did you know my husband?"

The woman nodded, "I've know him since he was a boy... that one's just not right."

"How?"

"Alright, do you have a few minutes for a little story?" Hermione and Harry nodded immediately.

"I was a neighbor of Dave and Wendy Thomas. I was even there when young Blake was born." The woman paused for a minute, "Blake was never quite right – something always seemed off even when he was a baby."

"How so?" Harry asked.

"Cried all the time, he would manipulate people starting at 6 months old. The older her got, the more he released odd vibes and I started to distance myself. When he was 7, I caught him torturing a cat and when I confronted him, he told me the voices told him to do it... I stayed away from him altogether after that."

"What happened then?" Hermione asked.

The old woman shook her head, "I didn't see him again till he was a teen – 15, I believe, and he had a young witch with him – Matilda Bricksworth. Matilda was reported as missing a few days later and never seen again – I told the Ministry that I saw Blake with her but they disregarded me and classified her as a runaway."

"They never investigated?"

"Never... said he was only a kid and couldn't be responsible for anything. Two years later, his house burnt to the ground with his parents in it. He acted upset when others were around but I saw different. His parents were buried in the back of the property. One day I watched while he visited them -- he sat on their graves and burnt matches while laughing – I moved a few days later and never went back."

Hermione sat there with her mouth open while Harry went bug eyed.

"A divorce normally takes a few weeks to process," the woman stated. "But under these circumstances... I will push the papers through immediately and you will be Hermione Granger again by the time you leave here."

Hermione sighed in relief – her husband was a nut case. The entire process had only taken three hours and by the time they walked out, Hermione was Hermione Granger once again.

"How do you feel?" Harry asked.

"Free," she replied. "I feel free and I feel as if I'm getting a chance to start over."

Harry smiled and looped her arm into his, "I say a celebration lunch is in order."

Hermione giggled but her thoughts were elsewhere. She couldn't help but wonder about Matilda and what became of her – she knew what her husband was capable of and she didn't have a doubt in her mind that Blake was responsible. When lunch arrived, Harry and Hermione shared the same looks as if they were considering something – Matilda.

"What do you think? Do you think she dead?" Harry asked.

Hermione shrugged, "It's possible, but something just feels wrong about it – like there's more to it."

Harry nodded in agreement before his face went into a large smile. "What's the look for, Harry?"

"Oh, I don't know. I guess I was just thinking on how long it has been since we'd gone on a little – adventure."

She quirked an eyebrow.

"Matilda – what if there is more to it? What if she wasn't the only one?"

"Oh Merlin, Harry. Are you really considering search for her?"

Harry nodded a yes, "The adventure of it might bring the old you back."

Hermione considered him for a bit and the situation. A little adventure would probably do her some good, after all, she just couldn't sit around and mope – it was up to her to get her life back and a little research and good old fashioned brain work might just do the trick.

"So we head to Kent tomorrow?" She asked with a smile.

"Tomorrow," he replied with a grin.

She felt bad about Matilda, but if they could find her or discover what happened to her, maybe they could put a family at peace. She also couldn't help but feel excited at using her brain for something other then remembering what days her EX-husband came home early, or his favorite meal or what sleeping clothes he preferred. She was excited and anxious to get started.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Special thanks to Smurfette39 for being an awesome beta.

The next morning, Harry and Hermione landed in the yard of Dave and Wendy Thomas. It really wasn't a hard place to find considering Blake had mentioned the place a few times during the course of the marriage.

The rubble in the area was thick and charred, leaving only bits and pieces of frame work in tact. Harry and Hermione circled the house's remains and while Harry commented on this and that, Hermione remained silent and seemed to be concentrating.

"Sickle for your thoughts?" Harry finally asked, noticing her far away look.

Hermione gave a small smile and a sigh, "Do you really think Blake was capable of this – I mean we obviously know he is violent, but enough to kill his own parents, set fire to the house... possibly have killed Matilda?"

Harry walked up behind her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders, "Honestly, I want to say no. But under the circumstances, how he treated you... I am going to say I think him to be highly capable of doing these things."

Hermione nodded, she tended to agree with him.

"The lady said Blake's parents were buried on the property and that she could see him from her house visiting the graves." Harry paused to look around and spotted a small yellow house about 40 yards away. "Let's find the graves and go from there."

Hermione nodded and started to walk towards Harry before she suddenly stopped, noticing something on the ground... shining. She bent down and dusted some of the dirt away, uncovering a small silver locket with the initials M.B..

"Harry, I think I've found something," she called out without taking her eyes off the locket.

Harry approached Hermione, looking the the small object in her hand. She held it out for him, "The initials say M.B."

"Matilda Bricksworth," he muttered, fingering the locket. He took his fingernails and pried the slightly rusty locket open, revealing a slightly faded picture of not only Matilda but Blake as well.

"He had to be more to her then a friend," Hermione whispered, rubbing her finger over the picture of the girl that looked a lot like her.

Harry didn't say anything but he noticed the resemblance between Matilda and Hermione and it made him sick to think this could have been her locket had she not got away. He quickly tucked the locket in his pocket and gently laced his fingers through hers. "Come on, let's start out search," he said in a somber voice, pulling her gently along with him.

Together they made their way through the long grass, tripping in small holes and avoiding snakes the entire way. The yard seemed to be relatively bare, save for the small cluster of trees in the far back corner, a small, rusted gate leading to the thick woods behind the property line and a small wooden shed in the opposite corner.

"This place is kind of creepy – gives off a feeling of loss."

Harry agreed and started to wonder if this entire adventure was such a good idea. What if they found Matilda's body? What if they found something else that they weren't even looking for – like more then one person. The thoughts made him uneasy and he hoped they wouldn't find anything at all.

They continued to trudge through the long, thick grass towards the small yellow house in hopes to spot the graves – why were they looking for them? He didn't know but somehow felt that they were part of the puzzle.

They eventually reached the porch of the old yellow house and climbed on. The woman had told them she still owned it but never went there. The house itself was in surprisingly good condition considering it's age. They suspected a protective spell had been placed to prevent any major damage.

"There," Harry said as he pointed to a spot a few yards away. Hermione stood next to him and spotted the tips of two grave stones sticking up only slightly higher then the grass.

"Guess he hasn't visited in a while, huh?" She asked and started towards the graves, leaving Harry standing on the porch a second longer then herself.

Hermione felt a bit of mourning for the couple although she had never met them. They were connected to her through Blake whether she liked it or not. She approached slowly, almost afraid of disturbing their peace and finally stopped at where she figured their bodies would lay.

"I can't believe Blake could have done this," she said while shaking her head. " I know he could but it's just hard to believe."

"Believe it sweetheart," a womans voice sounded, causing Hermione to jump back almost landing on top of Harry.

"Blake was an evil child... always destroying something," the voice said with a sigh.

Hermione looked to Harry, who could only shrug his shoulders.

"Right here dear," the voice said again, pulling Hermione's attention to Wendy's grave stone. A pale, ghostly figure floated above it.

"Mrs. T-Thomas?" Hermione asked. She wasn't scared of ghost, not after living at Hogwarts for seven years – she was just surprised.

"In the flesh – no, that's not right... In the mist," she said with a small laugh. "So what brings a young couple such as yourselves out here?" Wendy asked

"Well, umm, I was married to your son," Hermione said lamely, "and we heard rumor about a girl that turned up missing while he was with her – we just came to check things out a bit."

"Oh yes, Matilda," Wendy stated. "The girl is in pretty poor shape since Blake stopped coming around."

"Excuse me?" Harry asked, "Are you saying she is still alive?"

"She is dear.. back in those woods – but I don't give her much longer, she hasn't eaten properly in weeks and grass, moss and bugs are not what I would call a healthy, well balanced meal."

Hermione felt her legs grow weak, Matilda was still alive... but how?

Wendy was able to sense her question, "I knew Blake married you," Wendy stated. "He stopped by the grave a few years back and told me he had found a wife."

"And Matilda, Matilda looks a lot like you but Blake never wanted her for anything then a prisoner – made him feel powerful I suppose..."

"How has she survived?"

"Blake brought her food every week and a few jugs of water. She was a smart one and would store a jug away just in case."

"It doesn't make sense! Why didn't you go for help for her?"

Wendy let out a sigh, "I've tried, but I can't seem to leave the yard other then go to the woods. I've befriended Matilda and Blake said it would be alright for me to keep her company – so I do, but every time I've gone near the perimeter of the yard... I fade out."

Hermione let out a sigh, "Could you show us where she is?"

Wendy looked slightly worried, "Where is Blake anyway?"

"Don't know – I haven't seen him since I left him."

Wendy seemed to sense her feelings and didn't ask any further questions.

"I will take you to her, but please understand that Matilda isn't right in the head anymore."

"Meaning?" Harry asked.

"Meaning my son, the child I gave birth to is a monster. I don't know what went wrong, what gods I upset, but something happened to the boy and he was never quite right. He could act the part of nice kid when he needed to, but when there was no one around to impress or sway – he turned into a horrible person," she paused. "Matilda has been beaten, raped, starved to the point of being unconscious for years. She has had no one but Blake and me for company and she was fairly young when Blake had taken her... she doesn't trust anyone and I fear that when you go for her, she will back away and fight you."

Harry gave a small glance towards Hermione but quickly looked away before being noticed.

"I understand," Hermione stated. "But we need to try."

Wendy nodded, "Alright, I'll take you but beware, it's about 2 miles out and not easy to get to by foot... Blake always apparated but he has wards set that only allow him to do so."

"We are used to stuff like this.. we'll be alright." Harry stated

"Very well then, follow me." And with that, Wendy started a slow float towards the woods with Harry and Hermione right behind her.


	9. Chapter 9

Wendy wasn't lying when she said the walk would be tedious. The woods were thick with fallen trees, bushes with sharp thorns, and vines that seem to snag you and hold on for dear life. The ground wasn't much better either. It was slippery, muddy and covered with fallen branches and rocks.

"Good grief, How did Blake even find this place?" Hermione asked.

Wendy floated back towards Hermione, "Blake spent a lot of time out here. He wasn't well liked as a child because of his temper and the way he carried himself – he was just plain mean. Dave and I tried to set him straight, we really did but nothing we tried worked. He would come out here and spend hours upon hours, only coming home once he was ready to eat and go to bed."

"How did he meet Matilda?" Harry asked.

Wendy sighed, "She actually showed him pity... liked him when everyone else didn't. They became quick friends in school and shortly after formed a relationship. They seemed happy and Blake even leveled out a bit."

Wendy grew quiet and looked to Hermione, "Matilda tried to break it off with him after he hit her. He refused to let her go. When she turned up missing, I questioned Blake and told him I knew he had done something to her. He never responded, telling me to mind my own business and I believe that is what led him to stunning us and burning down the house."

Hermione stayed silent. She couldn't help but wonder if Blake would come after her again... she didn't even know where he was. What if he was watching her? What if he knew about her growing relationship with Harry? Would he try to hurt him? A million questions ran through her mind a mile a minute.

Harry noticed her silence and walked up, wrapping his arm around her but not saying anything. This was hardly the time and place.

"You should consider yourself lucky Hermione," Wendy said. "You managed to get away from him and have someone to watch out for you. Matilda had no one but Blake as her relationship with him made her an outcast as well."

She didn't feel lucky, she could have gone the rest of her life never being hit or degraded by the man she love and married.

"She doesn't talk anymore either... flinches away from everything... including me and I'm a harmless ghost."

Hermione remained silent. She knew she was being rude but her thoughts were going in twenty different directions. One minute they were on Harry, the next they were on Matilda, and lastly herself. Would she have become another Matilda had she not gotten away?

They continued through the woods and after four straight hours of walking without a break. They reached a cave that seemed to be sunk into the ground half way.

"She's towards the back," Wendy stated, "and chained by the foot. I suggest Hermione go in first."

Harry was about to refuse when Wendy held up her hand to stop him, "The cave is safe and Hermione will be fine. Matilda has not had a stitch of clothing for a few years now. I think seeing a man immediately would make her harder to deal with."

"I'll be fine Harry, really," Hermione stated as she took a deep breath and started towards the mouth of the cave.

She dropped down to her butt and slid inside, immediately pulling her wand. She noticed a small light towards the back of the cave and started walking towards it. The cave itself was good sized but had a very humid feel to it. She could smell the stench of human waste, mold and a dank, earthly smell; the combination was horrid.

She continued to walk, doing her best to hold down the contents of her stomach. It wasn't fit to house a roach more less an actual human being. As she got closer to the light, she could see the outline of a small figure, curled into the fetal position, pressed against the wall as if trying to blend.

"Matilda," she called weakly, wanted to alert the girl to her presence.

Matilda pressed against the wall harder, whimpering as she did so.

Hermione suddenly understood why Wendy said she had been lucky. She was nothing like this. She stood silently, taking in the girl's appearance. She was thin as a rail, her spine and ribs could be seen as if she didn't have skin at all. Her hair was matted with dirt and filth, her skin was almost black with mud and she had small sores all over her body, probably from having to lay in her own waste.

"My name is Hermione. I came to help you... get you out of here."

Matilda didn't respond so Hermione made herself a clean spot and sat down.

"We are a lot alike you know," Hermione stated in a soft voice. " I married Blake and nearly lost my life a few times."

Matilda shifted but nothing of significance.

"Blake hurt me, much like he hurt you; but I got away from him. I am starting to rebuild my life with the help of a dear friend and I would like to offer the same courtesy to you... to be a friend." She paused to take a deep breath, "I know you don't know me. You know nothing about me but I need you to trust me. I need you to let me help you like I let my friend help me."

Matilda slowly pulled herself into a sitting position, pulling her knees to her chest and looking towards Hermione.

"He told me about you," she said in a whisper.

Hermione could see the girl's face clearly, she had two long scars on each cheek, her eyes were sunken in, her lips were chapped and her cheeks looked hollow.

"He always told me about you. How you wouldn't leave him like I tried to. He doted on how much you looked like me... told me he broke you just like he broke me."

Hermione could feel the tears in her eyes as the girl spoke with her raspy voice.

"I want to die," Matilda finally rasped out. "He took my spirit, my soul and I'm too tired to fight," she paused, "I begged him to kill me, end my suffering and he refused, saying I made him suffer when I tried to leave him. There's nothing left of me, there's nothing left for me."

"Don't say that," Hermione whispered. "We were both victims of the same man. Both toys in his twisted plot in life... but you can't give up, not after you kept yourself alive for this long. Just let me help you."

Matilda's dark brown eyes bored right into Hermione's, considering what she should do.

"I'm not fully back to how I was before Blake, but I am working on it and I am willing to help you get through this. We all need someone whether we want to admit it or not."

Matilda remained quiet for a few minutes before she slowly stood, shaking as she did so from the weakness in her body from lack of care, naked as the day she was born and not caring one bit. Her pride had been taken long ago.

"I'll go, but you have to promise me that you will help me. I don't have anyone and I can't do this alone."

"I promise." Hermione said as she stood as well, "But first thing is first. I need you to trust me and let my friend and I carry you out of here. You are in no condition to walk through the woods and you need to go to the hospital so you can be helped physically."

"W-who's the friend?" Matilda asked.

"My friend's name is Harry. He is the one that has been helping me. He is the one that saved me the night I left Blake. I showed up at his flat almost dead that night and he did his best to heal me. You can trust him not to hurt you."

Matilda looked weary but what choice did she have if she was to get out of here, so she nodded a yes.

Hermione let out a breath of relief, "Good, now I'm going to get these chains off of you and transfigure something for you to put on."

Matilda smiled for a brief second, it had been along time since she had worn clothing. Hermione pointed her wand at the rusted chains and blasted them apart, leaving the cuff part around her ankle. She didn't want to risk hurting the girl anymore then she already was.

She then cast a quick spell to cleanse Matilda a bit before transfiguring one of her own socks into a white dress, long enough to cover what was left of Matilda's body. She was practically wasted away to nothing.

Hermione allowed Matilda to brace herself against her and started walking towards the mouth of the cave.


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry this is not an update

Sorry this is not an update. I just want to let you all know that my mom had surgery last Tuesday and I've been caring for her since. Unfortunately, her hip slipped out of place and she made need a second operation so my updates will be coming when I have a chance to breathe. I'm sorry for putting this off but I'm doing what I need to do. I will hopefully be able to update some tomorrow evening.

Thanks

Randi


	11. Chapter 11

When the three of them arrived at the hospital, Harry and Hermione were both relieved

When the three of them arrived at the hospital, Harry and Hermione were both relieved. It took a great deal of energy to get Matilda through the woods and into safety. Matilda wasn't feeling the safety at the moment.

"I need to leave." She whisperedd in a panicked voice, "there are too many people here… I can't be here… I gotta go."

Hermione looked to Harry who sighed. He had wondered briefly if the amount of people would cause a problem to the girl who hadn't had much human contact and was worried that Blake was right around the corner.

"Matilda, calm down for a minute." Harry said is a soft voice, "I may know of a place that isn't crowded and can help you."

She looked from Hermione to Harry and back again, "Blake will find me… He will take me back no matter where I am."

"He wont and I can promise you that." Harry stated firmly, "I just want your word that you will stay here with Hermione while I go check to see if he can take you in."

"H-He?" she asked with wide eyes.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at Harry, "Who?"

Harry sighed, "Severus Snape."

"Can I talk to you for a second?" She asked sweetly

"I'll stand right here just don't leave me." Matilda stated.

Harry nodded and walked away slightly, Hermione hot on his heels.

"You can't possibly be serious, Harry, Snape?"

"He helped you when you arrived at my place… I also suspect he is the reason Blake hasn't been seen since."

"Meaning?"

Harry sighed again, "I floo'd snape when you arrived at my place. You were in such bad shape that I knew I couldn't do it on my own…. Snape will protect her and has the proper potions and such to get her better."

"But Snape?"

"Is not as cold hearted as he seems. He was ready to kill Blake at the sight of you and I believe he is a firm enough person to make sure she eats properly and gains her weight back. He has also had a hard enough life to where I feel he will be able to understand her better then anyone in this crowded hospital."

Hermione nodded, Harry was right, they just needed to convince Snape.

They walked back over to Matilda, who visibly relaxed when they got closer to her. She felt vulnerable and exposed without them next to her.

"I am going to talk to Severus. I will be back shortly." Harry said as he gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek.

Hermione nodded and walked Matilda over to a bench where she could rest while Harry was gone.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Have you lost your mind?" Snape almost yelled

"You are the only one that can help her." Harry replied

"The hospital can patch her up."

"But she is afraid to be there. There are people everywhere and she is scared that Blake will take her back to the cave."

"Tell her he wont… I made sure of that."

"Not going to work." Harry replied with a shake of the head, "But speaking of it, What exactly did you do to Blake?"

"I didn't kill him – but I'm sure he wishes I had." Severus chuckled

"What did you do?"

"I dropped Blake off at an island of Amazons – he is currently the slave boy of about thirty, very, very large women."

Harry had to laugh at that, only Snape would think of that.

"Well it makes me feel better that he wont be coming after Hermione or Matilda… but Matilda needs you, she needs a strong wizard to make her feel safe and make sure she regains her health."

Severus sighed, He was a solitary person but he did get lonely at times and having someone around might not be so bad.

"I'll allow her to stay here but if she gets to difficult to deal with, I will drop her off at your flat." He warned.

"Fair enough" Harry replied, "I'll be back with her in a few minutes."

Severus nodded and as soon as Harry left, he went to the cluttered guest bedroom to clear it out. He never had guest so the room was used for storage. He shrank everything down and moved it all into a closet.

"Dobby" He called out.

"You called for Dobby, sir?" The elf asked immediately.

"Yes I did. I will be having a guest here for a while and I need you to bring a bed, clean sheets, and anything else a young woman would possibly need."

"Yes, sir, I will do it immediately."

Dobby winked out and Severus made his way back to his living room. What had he gotten himself into?

Oooooooooooooooo

Getting Matilda to stay with Snape was easier then Harry thought it would be. Severus had fixed up a guestroom, showed Matilda around briefly and shortly afterwards, started dosing the young woman with healing potions and food.

Harry couldn't help but laugh as Severus looked like a mother duck, tending to his young.

Harry and Hermione went back to his flat, considering the job they set out to do done and started to get back to life as usual. Both showered, ate a large dinner, and went to sleep as they were both exhausted.

Harry placed his arm around Hermione in a protective manner and whispered 'I love you' before falling into a sound sleep – Hermione wasn't that lucky.

It took almost an hour for her to finally doze off and it seemed that the instant her eyes closed, Blakes face popped into view.

She tried to wake herself up but her body was too tired and continued to sleep. The nightmare was not going to be a mild one, she knew it.

"You think you have it all figured out, don't you?" Blake asked

"_I didn't mean anything by it, Blake, I swear… you just misunderstood me." She pleaded, backing away from him._

"_I don't think I misunderstood anything. What I saw was my wife making me look like an idiot in front of people."_

"_I didn't, I was just adding to the conversation… I didn't mean to contradict you." She sobbed, not taking her eyes off of his balled up fist._

"_Well, You are going to learn right now why women are supposed to just stand there and look pretty."_

_Hermione backed away quickly but not quick enough to get away from him. He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her through their flat, banging her into the wall as hard as he could in the process._

_They finally reached the bathroom and bent her over the sink. He cave her a bar of soap and demanded she eat it, the entire thing._

"_This is what some parents do when their child says a bad word, You will do it to learn to keep your mouth shut."_

_She sobbed as he forced the bar of soap into her mouth, tearing the corner of her mouth with the force he was shoving the bar it. She screamed as he pulled her hair tighter to make sure she ate it all. Once the bar was compleely inside her stomach, she couldn't help it as her body rejected the foul tasting soap and sent her into violent vomiting attacks._

_The taste the second time was worse, making her gag continually. Blake grew angrier that she had thrown up her punishment and slammed her head down into the faucet, splitting the skin on her forehead and cracking her skull._

_She fell to the ground, unconscious as her body continued to expel the soap. Blake laughed and walked away – she wouldn't do that again._

Harry felt Hermione shaking and tossing violently. He glanced over to see her struggle, her hands over her face and a look of sheer panic etched into her normally relaxed expression.

"Hermione, luv, wake up" he said softly, shaking her gently.

She hadn't had one of these in weeks and he was sure dealing with Matilda had brought things up that she would rather forget.

"I won't speak to anyone again, Blake, I swear." She shouted, "Please don't make me…please."

Harry shook her a little harder and after a few minutes, her eyes opened and she instantly started to throw up over the side of the bed.

Harry had never wanted to kill anyone so much, not even Voldemort, as bad as he wanted to kill Blake at this very second. He reached over to hold her hair from her face but as soon as his hand made contact, she flipped herself off the bed and scooted away in fear, still gagging and not caring that she had fallen into her own vomit.

"Hermione, it's just me… It's Harry, not Blake."

She seemed to ignore him but a few seconds later her eyes widened and she started to sob, apologizing to Harry over and over again.

He walked over to her and scooped her up, vomit and all, and took her to the shower so she could clean up. He stripped down with her and stepped into the shower behind her where she turned and pulled him into a hug, holding him as if her life depended on it

A/N: Sorry for any mistakes you might find. I want to get this posted quickly since it's been so long.


	12. Chapter 12

Harry could feel her body shaking in his arms as her sobs reached epic proportions

Harry could feel her body shaking in his arms as her sobs reached epic proportions. She tried to control her emotions, she tried to put her fears of Blake in the deep recesses of her mind but after seeing Matilda and the conditions she had been kept in, she couldn't stop the feeling of helplessness that were bubbling through her reserves.

She kept a strong front when she was trying to convince Matilda to come with her but on the inside, she was reliving everything. Every slap, punch, kick and name that Blake had inflicted upon her, the way he took her confidence and squashed it into the ground, it all came back to her in a flood that she was barely able to contain.

"I tried Harry. I felt the dream coming and I couldn't wake myself, I couldn't make it stop."

He pulled her closer, hugging her even tighter to show her that he was there and she was safe.

"Its alright, luv, Blake wont be bothering you anymore." He replied in a soothing voice.

"It's not alright Harry! I was scared, I didn't fight back as hard as I should have… I put up with it… I"

"No more of that. You thought you were doing what you had to do to stay alive… You did what you thought you had to do to protect everyone and when you realized that there was nothing more you could do, you left and got help."

Hermione didn't reply. She knew he was right in some respect but there was still that part of her that wondered what would have happened if she had fought back harder and left sooner. In reality, though, she knew the real reason she stayed was from fear. Blake was a monster, she realized that now, he was a man with a deranged mind and would have more then likely killed her if she had left without being fully ready. She needed that extra time, painful as it was, she needed the time to make herself realize that she could be strong again. That she could go back to being the girl she was before the first hit had ever been placed and defend herself as a survivor and not just a jaded wife.

"I'm tired Harry" She finally stated. The emotions had drained her along with the anger she felt towards Blake for making her go through this.

Harry nodded and washed her to make sure she was free of Vomit. Once he was sure she was clean, he helped her out of the tub, dried her and took her back to bed before cleaning the vomit from the floor. He then crawled into bed with her and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her body so it was flush with his.

"He won't hurt you again… I will never allow him to place a single finger on you."

Hermione nodded, she believed him and knew he would do everything in his power to protect her.

"I love you Harry." She said weakly before falling asleep.

Oooooooooooooooooo

The next two weeks had passed and her dreams managed to remain neutral. Blake had not entered her mind once and she was glad of that. After the last incident, Hermione had decided to get past this…thing…With Blake once and for all. She had to take the next step in her recovery, which was to face some of her fears.

"Are you sure you can handle this? I don't want you to make yourself sick with nightmares again." Harry asked as they stood outside her and Blakes old house.

"I will be fine, Harry. I know it doesn't make sense to you… but a lot happened in that house and I need… I need to find some closure of sorts, I need to face this place and prove to myself that I am stronger than Blake or the memories."

Harry sighed and grabbed her by the hand. He was less then thrilled about going back into the house where she had been beaten, over and over again, but if she thought it would help her, he was willing.

From the outside, one could almost picture a loving couple living inside. The idea of a few children running through the yard with a dog would not seem far-fetched for an outsider, but he wasn't an outsider. He knew the things that took place behind the picture perfect appearance, he knew what the children would have gone through had Blake been their father. He knew that the possibility was great that he would have lost a best friend behind those walls had she not fled when she did and when everyone else would see the ideal house and family, all he could see was pain and torment.

"I am warning you Hermione, Any sign that you are getting overwhelmed, we will leave."

She gave him a hug and smiled, "I wont over do it, I just need to do this."

As they walked through the front door, the smell of the place instantly triggered a few memories. She had lived in this house for so long and even though she had been away for a while, the house smell remained engraved in her senses. She noticed the broken furniture but couldn't remember if it was Blake that caused that with her body or something else, none the less, she walked through and ignored it.

Harry stayed a ways behind her, watching for any signs of a break down. He watched as she crossed her arms over her chest and sighed when she would notice things. Really looking around, Harry noticed things that he hadn't before like the punch holes in the walls or the occasional blood splatter that was missed when the cleaning process began. He didn't know everything, thank Merlin, and didn't want to. He had already heard and seen enough in his life time but he would not stop her if she had to relive those things to him to banish it from her mind.

"I loved this house." She suddenly said, "Everything about it was perfect when we first moved in."

Harry nodded but didn't reply verbally, he decided to just let her talk.

"That wall over there had a garden painted on it. Flowers of every color and had the greenest looking foliage you had ever seen… Neville would have loved it."

She then walked a little further into the living room.

'This built in bookshelf made me actually jump up and down with excitement – it was the first thing I painted so it would be ready when we moved our stuff in… I organized it for hours making sure the spines of the books were lined up perfectly and that they were sorted by subject.

Until Blake pulled them all down a few months later and ripped them to shreds

She skimmed her hand over the edge of the shelf, "I had to start hiding my books though."

She continued to walk a bit further in and into the kitchen where it appeared to be mostly untouched.

"I tried to organize this kitchen to be a perfect mix of muggle and wizard. I loved Molly's kitchen and the closeness we all felt when we ate there and I wanted to create that along with the things I loved about muggle kitchens as well… I planned on having a family in this house and wanted them to have the best of both worlds."

She skimmed her hand against the counter top, avoiding the puddle of dried blood from the last night she was there. She was surprised he hadn't cleaned that up… probably wanted a memory or something.

"The window was the selling point for me. I could stand here while doing the dishes and watch my children play in the back yard. I would have been able to crack the window open and hear them laughing as the chased each other or wrestled around. This simple window was the highlight of the kitchen, letting the perfect amount of natural light shine through and provided the perfect setting for lunch and happy conversations."

"Could you picture that?" she asked Harry

"I could very easily." He replied

She smiled and continued to walk around the kitchen for a few more minutes. She walked right past the bathroom and the master bedroom. Too much had happened in those rooms and there was nothing in either one that would provided a good memory. The bedroom was a place where Blake would have his way with her, willingly or bloodied, it didn't matter to him and the bathroom is where she spent a great deal of time cleaning herself up and covering bruises.

She continued to walk down the hall and into another room.

"This would have been where my children slept. I loved this room because I could picture myself holding a baby. Singing him or her to sleep as I sat on the bench under the bay window." She let out a small laugh, "I even told myself that I would point out the constellations and teach him everything about the solar system."

Harry watched as she went over to the window and sat down, glancing out to the back yard.

"I thought this house would be perfect for me and provided everything I ever wanted… but I realize that wasn't true now."

Harry shook his head, "The house would have been perfect if not for Blake."

"Maybe." She replied simply.

Hermione continued to show Harry things about the house, reliving the good and bad memories in the other rooms. Harry couldn't believe how calm she was, especially when she would walk past a larger spatter of blood or the thing that made him sick which was a small patch of her hair hanging from a nail in the wall – he didn't even want to know how that happened.

When she was finally done, she stopped at the door once more and looked around. The house was her past, Blake was her past and looking over to Harry, she knew he was her future. She closed the door, leaving the demons behind and walked away, Happy to finally have her closure when it came to that house.


	13. Chapter 13

Severus had grown accustom to having someone living with him

Severus had grown accustom to having someone living with him. Matilda was quiet for the most part but over the last few months, she had put on weight, gained some personality back and even seemed to be improving when it came to people. It hadn't been easy for him and the last six months had tried his patience, over and over again, but her transformation was worth it to him and despite their very different past, they actually had a lot in common.

He had asked Matilda to go on a date. One reason was to get them out of the castle and the second reason was he felt she needed to reestablish herself to the public. Their date was set for tomorrow night and Severus was actually happy at the prospect of having someone on his arm.

Severus slumped down on his couch and was thinking of where they would go on their date. He wanted things to be perfect and he planned on doing everything in his power to make it that way. He was lost in thought when a small yellow bird made its way into his rooms and plopped down on the couch next to him. He recognized he bird as one from the women that he had sent Blake to stay with and his blood ran cold.

A small folded letter dropped onto the couch and Severus quickly grabbed it and enlarged it so he could read it, fearing what the note would say.

_Severus,_

_The man has escaped. I just thought you would like to know so you can make the necessary adjustments._

'short, sweet, and to the point' he thought to himself. He glanced over to the door when he knew Matilda to be sleeping and sighed, he knew he would have to watch her carefully until Blake was found again. He then went over to the floo and got down on his knees, he needed to warn Harry and Hermione as well.

Oooooooo

Harry and Hermione had been getting closer and closer since she had faced her demons, so to speak. The old Hermione was showing through more and more each day and the nightmares had almost disappeared. Her confidence had improved and her once overly quiet voice had come back to normal. Things were so much better for her now, then they had been in years.

She and Harry were curled up on the couch. She was sleeping on his chest and he was wide awake, watching the fire as he soothingly rubbed her back.

"Potter!" Severus hissed in a whisper. He had no plans on tell Matilda that Blake was running free and didn't want to wake her up with the announcement.

"Potter!" Severus whispered again, only a bit louder.

"Snape? Is that you?" Harry asked as he searched for his glasses

"Yes, Potter, It's me and we have a situation." Severus stated

"What kind of situation?"

"Is Granger with you right now?"

"She's asleep on the couch with me."

Severus wanted to roll his eyes at the lovey, dovey Gryffindors, but rude gestures would have to come later.

"Put a charms around her. She does not need to hear what I have to say."

That comment worried him a bit. Severus generally had no problem saying what he had to say, even if there was a room full of people. Harry quietly cast the charm and waited for Severus to continue.

"Is it done?"

"Yes, now what is so important?"

Severus sighed, "Blake escaped the island. I don't know how and I don't know when but you need to keep closer watch over her."

'Blake escaped the island'

Those four little words. Six syllables in all made his heart race. He had thought about what would happen if Blake did get away and either way it would not be pretty. He was worried that Hermione would sink back into her shell if she knew of Blake. He wondered if the nightmares would come back at the idea of him coming for her. He didn't like this conversation at all, not one little bit, and he had no intentions of telling her unless he absolutely had to.

"I'll make sure she stays safe, and you will do the same for Marilda, yeah?"

"Of course Potter."

Harry nodded, "Thanks for letting me know. I wont be telling her unless I have to."

"I wont be telling Matilda either. Night Potter."

"Night" Harry replied.

Harry carefully stood as soon as the floo had disengaged. He wanted to get Hermione into bed and he needed to make a quick call for extra protection. Getting her to bed was easy enough considering she was already zonked out but making the floo call and explaining the situation to who he had in mind would no doubt make one person very angry and he only hoped Ron would keep his voice down.

Harry went to the floo, asked Ron to come over and retreated back to the couch to wait.

It only took five minutes for Ron to show up, sleep dazed but sensing the slight panic in Harry's voice.

"What's wrong, Mate?" Ron asked as he sat down next to Harry, "Hermione sore at you for something?"

"No, Ron, nothing like that." Harry said quietly, "I actually need your help."

Ron nodded and waited for Harry to continue.

Do you remember the last time you saw Hermione, the way she flinched when you got angry?"

"Yeah, confused the hell out of me." He answered honestly, "I never laid a hand on her and she flinched."

"It wasn't your doing, Ron. I'm going to explain it to you and tell you why I need the help, but first I need your word that nothing I tell you will be repeated to anyone. Less then a handful of people know and Hermione would like to keep it that way."

Ron nodded, "I give you my word, but now you are starting to worry me… What's going on?"

Harry then sighed, "Hermione and Blake did not have a good marriage like many believed." He paused for a minute to collect his thought as he didn't like to remember it either.

"Ron, Blake beat her through the entire marriage. She tried to leave him once, but only ended up with broken fingers and another beating."

He watched as every trace of sleep left Ron's face and was replaced with red-hot anger.

"How bad?" Ron asked

Harry shook his head and stood from the couch. He walked over to a small wooden box on the fireplace and pulled out a small glass ball.

"I can't tell you without losing it myself. I have placed my memories and some of hers into this memory ball over the last few months just so we had it if we needed it. I was helping her at first but I had to stop after a few weeks as I was seriously close to killing the bastard. I can't look at it with you and I have no idea what she has added to it."

"Why would she want to remember?" Ron asked

Harry shook his head, "I have no clue but she says it helps her face her fears, something about making her stronger when she watches it."

They didn't understand and they probably never would, but Hermione knew that each time she watched it, each time she saw how Blake treated her, it made her anger rise and replace the fear. It was a reminder to her of how she was wronged and it gave her the strength to keep pushing herself.

"Give me the ball." Ron said wearily. He wasn't sure of what he was going to see and he wasn't sure he wanted to.

"I'll have a drink waiting for you when you've finished – you'll need it." Harry stated as he handed Ron the clear ball.

Ron nodded and looked into the small ball. It reminded him of the small ball Neville had in first year. The smoke inside turned a dark blue and Ron suddenly felt himself being pulled into the ball. He didn't land like he would have in a Pensieve but instead floated.

The first scene he watched was obviously from Harry. He watched as a bloody Hermione dropped from the fireplace and onto Harry floor. He watched as she was healed by Snape and almost heaved as the glamor was dropped, revealing her bruised body.

The next few scenes were Harrys memories as well. They basically consisted of her nightmares and her all around jumpiness whenever she was approached. Ron cringed when she screamed in her sleep, clawing at her throat to remove the invisible hands. He saw how Harry would have to calm her down and get her to relax.

He had seen enough, he didn't want to watch anything else but the ball wouldn't release him. He had to watch as her own memories whipped through, most ending with her blacking out in the end. Her memories were much clearer then Harrys, probably because she lived them.

He watched in horror as she was tossed around like a rag doll. Pulled around the house by her hair and punched repeatedly like a man would punch another man. He could hear everything she heard. Each crunch made his throat constrict, each crack made him want to throw up and every call for help made him want to run to her and kill the bastard that was hurting her. He was trapped in this ball, showing him everything he never wanted to see and all he could do was watch.

The memories seemed to go on forever and he was sure not even Harry had seen some of this stuff. He watched as Blake kicked her in the ribs, breaking them as he went before slamming her upper torso onto the cabinet and forcing himself inside her. She was dry and the look of pure pain etched into her face.

He saw something in her eyes as Blake raped her. She looked as if her soul was gone, the light that he had remembered was gone and those sweet brown eyes he had fallen in love with looked like nothing more the dark mud. He could tell she had given up in some respect and that got him worse then anything.

Hermione Granger didn't give up, Hermione Granger didn't let anyone get to her but now Ron could see it, he could see that Blake managed to do what Malfoy and Voldemort never managed to do, Blake had broken her. The scene went blank as her eyes closed, telling Ron that she had once again blacked out – maybe that was her body's self defense mechanism.

The memories slowed and he hoped that they were almost over. He felt himself leaving the ball and while he was grateful for that, the last thing he heard was the sound of her voice begging. Her voice was full of pain and fear. He couldn't see the memory but her words were etched into his memory and her voice engraved into every cell of his body. The words were from someone who sounded defeated.

"_Please God, someone please help me."_

The memories were suddenly gone and he found himself back in Harry's living room, the glass ball clutched tightly in his hand. Harry had actually been the one to stop the memories as he noticed the red anger disappear and the pale white shock take over.

"I-I, He…what.."

Harry only nodded, he knew Ron was stuck for words.

"Do you understand why she was jumpy now?" Harry asked

Ron was numb. Yes, He had been angry that she chose Blake over him but never would he have wished that on anyone, not even his worst enemy. He had abandoned her, scratched her off of his list when she made her decision but what she went through was far worse then any petty jealousy fit he had.

"I didn't know." He whispered

"Neither did I, not until the night she showed up here."

Ron felt sick. He wanted to rush in and hold her, hug her and tell her that he would never allow that to happen again and the other half of him wanted to run to the bathroom a throw up.

"What do you need my help with?" Ron finally asked after he cleared his throat.

Harry sighed and handed Ron a glass of whiskey, "Blake is on the loose again and I fear he will go after her. I will not be leaving her side but I also want someone else I can trust to help me keep watch – Hermione doesn't know Blake is walking around, probably looking for her."

Ron nodded, "He won't touch her, not if I have anything to do about it."

Harry then grinned, "Good, now we need a plan."


	14. Chapter 14

Hi everyone. I just wanted to let you know that I have not forgotten about my stories. I have gotten quite a few emails even though I have not updated in forever so I figured I would let you all know what is going on.

I am currently working with a published author on a real book that I am writing. The book is very complicated for me as a writer because it has many twist and turns and I am doing my best to make it all flow as steadily as possible for the readers. I PROMISE that as soon as I have the kinks worked out and my brain is not so fried, I will update and finish my stories.

I am sooo sorry it is taking so long, but my heart is wanting to finish this book and I really need to go with it.

On a side note, I am looking for someone who is good at art and has some free time to make a cover of sorts and a few other things for my book. I will be making a myspace for the book and want an original layout to help show it off. I will give full and complete credit to anyone who steps up. Send me a message if you are interested.

Again, I am so sorry… I will make it up to you.


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